The New Teacher
by stell-adora
Summary: Sebastian Moran was just hired as a teacher at James Moriarty's high school. Jim spends a free period playing mind games with his new friend, who proves to be a very worthy opponent.


**First fanfic. Special thanks to my Jim, littleclaudy, who can be found on Tumblr. Enjoy; reviews appreciated. **

Sebastian Moran sat in the classroom that had been assigned him. Though it was mid-January, it was his first day as an English teacher at the school. The previous teacher had been "let go" as the administration put it. Sebastian didn't care enough to ask questions. He was just happy to have any job that hadn't been created by the army. As the bell rang signaling the start of class, he stood up. A group of seventeen-year-old boys entered the room, all talking to one another. They took their seats, barely acknowledging Sebastian. A few seconds later another boy entered, all on his own. James Moriarty took a seat in the front row, all the rest being taken. Jim was in a foul mood. As per usual, he had awoken to the sounds of his alcoholic father being violently sick in the bathroom. There had been no food in for breakfast and so he was starving. Worst of all, he had already been tripped up by Carl fucking Powers this morning and his knee was killing him where he had scraped all the skin off it. He chucked his books down in front of him and stared sulkily at the board, not paying anyone much attention.

Sebastian ignored the rather violent-looking boy in the front row and started the lesson. The class was in the middle of reading _The Once and Future King_ by T. H. White. All period, out of the corner of his eye, he could see the boy doodling in his notebook, not paying attention at all. After the bell rang, he approached him.

"James, was it?" he asked. "Can you hold on a minute?" With an insolent roll of his eyes that indicated he had better things to do than be detained by some idiot young teacher, Jim paused. As the rest of the class filed out, he heard the gleeful comments from his classmates. They loved it when he got into trouble. Sure, Jim wasn't the easiest person to get along with, but even he couldn't understand why they all hated him so much. With a nonchalant sniff, he raised a dark, arched eyebrow.

"Moriarty," he drawled unenthusiastically, "James Moriarty, sir. And I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"No, you don't," Sebastian smiled. "I noticed you didn't seem very interested in my lesson today. Any particular reason why, or are you always this difficult?" he asked bitingly.

"I find the book boring, the lesson activities dull, and the teaching leaves much to be desired," he told him confidently. After all, the man had asked him a question, and it was only polite to answer truthfully.

"Ah," said Sebastian. It didn't seem like there was much he could do to change the boy's attitude, and he really didn't want to try. He was a teacher, not a goddamn therapist. "Well, I'm glad I know that. I won't bother with you, then. Good luck on the exam," he said as he resumed his seat at his desk. He had intended this last statement as a dismissal. Jim frowned with confusion, his lip curling and his nose screwing up almost comically.

"And you're just going to take that from me, are you, sir?" he demanded, needing this clarified. Usually he got a much bigger, far better reaction than this. Perhaps he hadn't been rude enough? If that was the case, it was easily fixed. "They wouldn't take it in the army, sir" he tried again, smirking slightly. He hoped to throw the teacher off guard with this remark. Sebastian smiled slightly. He could tell that this was the kind of boy who was rude to people on purpose in order to get a reaction. He knew how to play this game, and he was very good at it. Calmly, he looked at Moriarty.

"I know full well they wouldn't. That's what got me here. Now, if you'll excuse me..." Furious that he hadn't taken the (really rather impressive) bait, Jim scowled like a boy far younger than his seventeen years. Was Mr Moran not even going to ask him _how_ he knew about the army? Didn't he _care_ that Jim had worked out his past occupation in just one lesson without speaking once or asking a single question? With a huff, he decided to try out something far more personal, and in his opinion, even better than the last revelation. This one should _definitely_ get him the reaction he craved. "Did you get kicked out for shagging the other soldiers, sir?" he asked sweetly, dark eyes glinting with malice. "The male soldiers, I mean".

Sebastian stopped. The fact that Jim had known he was in the army at all was rather alarming, but he figured it wasn't impossible to guess, especially for such an obviously clever boy. But this? How could he have possibly known...? Perhaps it had just been a lucky guess. Either way, Sebastian was uncomfortable, but he hid it from Jim, knowing that showing his emotions could only make things worse. "Get out, Moriarty," he said sternly. "You'll be late to your next class." Jim shrugged happily, knowing full well he had hit a nerve.

"Free period," he remarked instantly, making it clear he was going to try his best to stick around. He didn't really know why he was bothering, to be honest. It wasn't like this teacher was particularly important, nor did Jim have a larger grudge against him than the other poor souls that attempted to teach him. Sebastian breathed out through his nose, trying to calm himself. He turned his back on Jim, not knowing what else to do.

"I'm sure you can find somewhere else you'd rather be."

"Nah," said Jim in a relaxed and nonchalant voice, "This classroom suits me better. It is January, sir, and I don't want to freeze to death outside." This was partly true. The classroom did suit him perfectly, since, for one, a teacher was occupying it, which meant Powers and his friends weren't able to find him and knock him around like they usually did. Also, he didn't have a coat since his family was short on cash and barely even had enough to pay the rent. Sebastian sighed. He didn't know what else he could do.

"Fine. Stay. I don't care," he muttered, trying to get back to his work.

"Aw, that's really nice of you, sir," he declared in a mock friendly voice, "If you want, you can be my favourite teacher." With that, he settled on the desk, even though the school was very strict on the policy that only chairs were there to be sat on, and began swinging his legs like an excitable kid.

"Oh, joy of joys," Sebastian said, deadpan. "And you're my favourite student." Jim smirked, unsure whether to be impressed that Mr Moran was playing along, or if he should be furious that he was being mocked.

"You know, sir, smiling is a lot sexier than frowning. Just thought someone should let you know." He grinned toothily at Sebastian, partly demonstrating, and partly preparing for his next verbal assault. "Must be awful being single at your age. Why is that, sir? None of the boys around here to your taste?" Sebastian took a split second to consider his next retort.

"Just one," he said, getting an idea. "But I don't think he fancies me all that much," he said, looking Jim in the eyes with a big smile.

"Oooooh!" exclaimed Jim excitedly, bringing his hands up to his mouth and pretending to be interested in this man's dull crush. "Oh go on, sir. Tell me all about him!"

"I'm not sure if I should," Sebastian said, eyeing Jim up and down. "You see, he's a student, and I could get in a lot of trouble." He was making all of this up in order to make Jim feel uncomfortable. He knew it was a rather risky game to play, especially on his first day here, but something in the boy's poor attitude made Sebastian want to see him squirm.

Jim knew instantly he was being played at his own game. Rather impressed by this dangerous tactic, Jim, not to be outdone, decided to up the stakes. Maybe he could even manage to get Mr Moran fired? That would be fun. It would certainly give him a day's entertainment at least. As part of his act, Jim pretended to remain oblivious, peering at his teacher curiously as though he didn't understand.

"A student, sir? What do you like so much about him, sir?"

"Well," Sebastian said as he maneuvered his chair so that he was directly in front of Jim. "He's clever, much more so than the rest of the kids. And he has high self-esteem. He doesn't think he's any lower in status than the teachers just because he's younger. He has no problem with authority. But what I find most _irresistible_ of all is that he always gets what he wants. Never takes no for an answer, even when it's said most forcefully," he finished, his voice lowered to a murmur.

"He sounds like trouble, sir" Jim told him, tilting his head to the side innocently and watching Mr Moran through dark lashes. This was perfect. Exactly the sort of action he'd hoped the teacher would take. Jim was already inwardly bouncing with glee at the chaos he could bring into this poor, foolish, unsuspecting man's life. No one played a game against Jim Moriarty and won. Not ever. "What does he look like?" he inquired, "Do I know him?"

Sebastian stopped again. Moriarty wasn't even fazed by any of this; he just sat on the desk, looking gleeful. Sebastian began to wonder if he should just stop. How would he defend himself if Jim decided to go to the head teacher with this story? Then again, why bother defending himself at all? His life had been empty for the past year, ever since he was discharged from the army. What did it matter whether or not he kept his job (or any job, for that matter)? This was just something he had decided to do to escape the crushing boredom of his everyday life. It's not like he actually _wanted_ to be a teacher. He made up his mind. He'd take this game however far Jim was willing to go. "I think you might be familiar with him," Sebastian said. "He has dark hair, pale skin...he's a bit smaller than the other boys, but I'll bet he's only smaller in _height_..." he said, trailing off after the innuendo.

"Sir!" exclaimed Jim, scandalised by the insinuation, still giving no clue that he had guessed the man was describing him. It was a rather flattering depiction, Jim thought, and he inwardly preened. "Perhaps you should tell him how you feel, sir. It sounds as though you really like him," he advised in a wise little voice.

"Oh, I could never do that," said Sebastian melodramatically. "I'm sure he'd just laugh. And /then/ what would I do? I'd probably get fired!" he said, as if his job meant the world to him. Jim pretended to look thoughtful and nibbled on his lower lip in what he hoped was a seductive manner. It also made him look anxious about the fate of his poor lovesick English teacher, and so it worked both ways.

"You know what, sir, I think you should _show_ him how you feel. Boys my age prefer actions to words, if you know what I mean..."

"You really think so?" asked Sebastian in a voice he hoped sounded seductive. He leaned into Jim a little closer. Jim nodded his head helpfully, eyes wide and innocent. "Well then..." Sebastian leaned even closer to Jim, putting his lips on level with the boy's face. He searched his mind for the one thing he could say that would finish him off. Then it came to him. "Do you know where I could find Carl Powers?" he whispered in Jim's ear.

Jim had everything planned out. Up until the very last detail. He had been completely ready to follow this through right until the vital moment when he suddenly would have turned into a vulnerable, scared boy. He might even have turned on the tears for extra fun. When his teacher was freaking out over what he'd almost done, he would have threatened to nip straight off to the head teacher. After that he would have demanded payment and straight A's in return for his silence. Then after results, he would have told on the man anyway and gotten him fired. Simple. Only of course it wasn't simple because Mr Moran had gone and screwed everything up by whispering the name of his worst enemy. The boy who liked to kick the shit out of him for fun. The boy who spat on him and stole his stuff. With a face like thunder, Jim gave Sebastian a hard push. Sebastian smiled as he staggered back a few steps. He had won.

"I'll assume that's a no," he said. "I'll also assume that I won't have to deal with your insolence again. Even though that was quite amusing." The boy was positively panting with rage. This teacher, this bloody stupid, insignificant, failure of a stinking educator had just beaten him at one of his mind games. He was the first person _ever_ to have achieved such a feat. Fuming and oh-so-ready to get his revenge, he suddenly had a spark of genius.

"I'll go and tell Carl then, sir. I'm sure he'll be glad to know you care so much." With a spiteful glare, Jim continued, "Though I should warn you, Powers doesn't like poofs very much. He reckons you should be locked up 'cause you're all child molesting pervs. Just thought you should know." Jim knew this at first hand, having had his head flushed down a toilet and having those exact insults screamed at him only four weeks ago by the brute of a boy.

"_Shit,_" Sebastian thought. He hadn't counted on this. He had to find some way to keep Jim in the room. Obviously, the best way to do that was to get him talking again, and not just about any old thing, but about Jim's very favourite subject: himself. "How do you know that? Are you and Powers good buddies?" he asked, knowing full well that wasn't the case. He had overheard Carl and a group of his goons saying some rather scathing remarks about Jim this morning.

Jim wondered if Sebastian was still playing the game or not. After a moment of pondering this, he decided he couldn't tell, which was rather rare for him. He could, however, tell that the man was scared of getting found out. Jim wasn't sure if it was the gay part that he wanted kept quiet, or the part about him pretending to fancy a student, not that the person being told would believe it had been pretend, of course. With a dark frown, Jim answered.

"I hate Powers and Powers hates me."

"Ah. Then how do you know he'd believe you?" asked Sebastian. He had stopped enjoying their treacherous little waltz. It was fine when it was just he and Jim, but now that another student had been dragged into it, one Sebastian didn't even know, and had only brought up to make Jim angry, the game was over. No matter how much of a jerk Powers was, he didn't deserve to be dragged down into his petty feud with Jim. "What if he thought you were just making it up to get him angry?"

Jim was defeated and he knew it. If he went to Powers, which he wasn't intending to anyway, he knew what would happen to him. He'd get mocked and punched in the face and pushed to the ground and kicked until he cried. Jim always tried his best not to cry, but somehow tears escaped him after this treatment went on for too long. They weren't sad tears though, they were angry tears. Tears of absolute rage.

"I'm not going to tell him" Jim said quietly, giving nothing away in the tone of his voice.

Sebastian was insightful enough to see that something had changed within Jim, but he had no idea what. However, he was relieved. If he got fired now, he wouldn't get to study Moriarty anymore, and he was a very interesting specimen. There were two choices he could make at this point: he could mock Jim, implying he didn't have the guts to talk to Powers; or he could finally lay off. That sad little something that Sebastian saw trying to hide just behind Jim's eyes made him choose the latter.

"...Thanks," he said, matching Jim's tone.

Jim shrugged and hopped off the desk, trying to maintain the confident, cocky facade he'd held just minutes ago. It wasn't working particularly well. He glanced at Mr Moran and then looked back down at his scuffed shoes. Why the hell had he wanted to destroy this man's life? What the fuck was wrong with him?

Sebastian tried hard to think of something to say in order to fill the uncomfortable silence that followed. Nothing came to him. Finally he just followed Jim's lead and looked at the ground. In doing so, he noticed the boy's shoes. They were far from new, almost worn out. Come to think of it, the rest of Jim's uniform had a decidedly second-hand look about it. Odd, at such an affluent school.

"One would think a boy like you would shine his shoes more often," Sebastian said pensively, not intending to wound. Jim seemed like exactly the type who would take great pride in his wardrobe. With an instant glare, Jim was back on form, that stupid comment fuelling his silent rage against humanity once again.

"One would think a man like you wouldn't come on to his students for a laugh," he spat in return, feeling the need to vent his spite.

"Touchy subject," Sebastian said as if he were analysing Jim rather than talking to him. "I wonder why that is?" Jim liked to keep his cards close to his chest, and the thought of being read by someone, even by an amateur like Mr Moran scared the hell out of him. His emotions and home life were both private. Everything else, the world could have. They could have his spite and his cruelty and his twisted humour and even his intelligence, but not that. "How many people know you're gay, sir?" he asked, going for his own touchy subject in return. Raising his eyebrows, Sebastian smirked.

"Up until you found out, only the ones I've fucked." Sebastian was trying his best to figure out Jim Moriarty. Clearly he didn't like to show his emotions or share details about his personal life. And clearly, those were the only 'real' things about Moriarty. Everything else was just an act.

"_Why is he smiling? That wasn't supposed to be funny, it was supposed to be threatening_," Jim thought. Darkening once again, he decided to take it one step further. "I reckon you'd find it difficult to teach at this school if that lot knew you took it up the arse, sir," he told the teacher, narrowing his eyes.

"I reckon it would," Sebastian said, the smile fading from his lips. "But what proof of it do you have?" Jim rolled his eyes at the man's stupidity.

"As if they'd need proof. One word and they'd tear you apart like a pack of dogs. They're idiots, sir. They don't think."

"Unlike you, of course. You think you're better than they are," Sebastian said. It wasn't a question, just an observation. "Why is that? Where does this sense of superiority come from?"

"It doesn't 'come from' anywhere," Jim informed him, feeling very much as though he were tied to an operating table and being dissected against his will. "I'm smarter than them, and therefore better. It's a fact."

"That's big talk coming from such a small boy," said Sebastian. It was a petty jab, he knew, but he said it nonetheless. Jim shrugged his shoulders. He didn't care that he was smaller than everyone else, or that Mr Moran was trying to belittle him. He was used to people making him feel like shit. It was part of the reason he so often got in there first, before it could be called bullying. People who got bullied were weak. They were victims. That's why Jim made so many enemies. Enemies didn't count. Sebastian turned his back on Jim, not knowing what else to say. After a while, he chuckled.

"This is some way to spend your free period," he said with his back to the boy.

"You could have kicked me out," pointed out Jim, feeling suddenly very cold as he watched Mr Moran's back.

"I tried, remember? You're the one who wanted to stay." He began to wonder why Jim had wanted to stay in the first place. Was it really just to play with Sebastian's mind? Why would the boy even waste his time on him?

Jim scoffed half-heartedly. "Yeah, well you didn't try very hard." He stood awkwardly, unsure if he should simply up and leave like he should have in the first place. Mr Moran shouldn't have to be burdened with him just because he was too much of a coward to go outside or to the common room.

"Yeah, well, no one else in this place is fun to talk to," he said, turning his desk chair around when he heard Jim stand up. The boy raised an eyebrow, unsure if he was being mocked or not.

"You think I'm fun to talk to?"

"Of course," said Sebastian before he knew what he was saying. He cleared his throat. "I mean, you're a lot less dull than everyone else here."

Understanding Mr Moran's words to be sincere, Jim brightened very suddenly, the slightly manic grin returned to his face. "Yeah, well, you're not so bad either," Jim declared. Sebastian's face betrayed a smile. He could tell that coming from Jim, this was a big compliment. "I think the bell's about to ring. I have another class," Sebastian said. Strangely, he found himself a bit sad at the thought that Jim was going to leave. Jim nodded, looking wistful. He'd wasted most of his precious time alone with Mr Moran being an annoying little shit. He wished he could take that back now. There were lots of things he would have liked to ask him, or talk to him about. One in particular.

"Well, I suppose I'd better go," he said, "Thank you, sir. For not giving me a detention or anything like that."

"See you later. And thank you for not telling Carl Power's that I'm in love with him. As if anyone could love that son of a bitch," he said. He wanted Jim to know that he was on his side, if it ever came to that.

With a massive smile, one of the few rare ones Jim ever gave, the boy nodded and walked out of the classroom, stealing one last glance back at his teacher before he carried on, hoping he wouldn't meet Carl along the way.


End file.
